Wednesday, 4 June 2014

Yes, I said that today. Some students giggled while others were serious, but they all came to the carpet carrying their anger.

Earlier, we read and discussed the book Anh’s Anger written by Gail Silver. We looked closely at the mixed-media collages by illustrator Christiane Kromer and came up with some success criteria that students would keep in mind while creating a representation of their own anger using wallpaper samples, fabric, glue, yarn makers and paint.

At the carpet, students presented their anger and asked for questions, comments and feedback. Here are some samples:

Q - Why does it only have one eye?

A - I wanted it to look scary.

Comment: It’s also a fact that when people are angry it’s harder for them to see right or to think clear.

Comment - I like the sweater you weaved for your anger and the red in your background.

Response - Thanks, I’m not finished yet.

Comment: My anger is hot and itchy too.

Q - Why doesn’t your anger have a face?

A - It has one inside. It is tied up really tight right now in a blanket but then all of a sudden it explodes and breaks the string and freaks out.

Comment - Maybe your anger should count to ten and fix the problem instead of exploding.

Response - Yeah, but it can’t talk very good when it is mad.

Feedback: Maybe you could give it some arms.

Response: It doesn’t have arms so it can’t hit anyone. I gave it a big mouth and nose instead so it can breathe deep and count to ten instead of hitting.

It is so important to give learners of all ages the time and opportunity to create, to talk, to share, and to question. I keep reminding myself not to rush. Taking time gives us the chance to think more deeply about a topic, allows us to learn from and about each other, and about ourselves. Next Steps: Continue to read, write, talk, question and create as we explore other emotions and let students choose to write or record a collaborative text about one or more emotions (fiction or nonfiction).